Hershey, Pennsylvania
New York, New YorkBeijing, China

Shernell A. Elibox

Shernell Elibox , PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator in the Community and Trauma Counseling Program at Thomas Jefferson University. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education from The Pennsylvania State University and holds an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. A native of Saint Lucia, Dr. Elibox served as the island’s first and only Clinical Suicidologist Counselor, designing and leading national mental health and suicide prevention initiatives through the Department of Health and Wellness. Her clinical and academic work centers on the intersectionality of suicidality, cultural humility in mental health care, and crisis intervention. While at Penn State, she was the Lead Clinic Supervisor for the Edwin L. Herr Counseling Training Clinic, where she revised crisis counseling policies for in-person and telehealth services. Her recent research includes a large-scale study examining suicidality among over 122,000 college students of color. Dr. Elibox’s pedagogical approach is grounded in Black feminist pedagogy and antiracist, decolonized teaching practices that emphasize brave, inclusive learning spaces.

Publications

Understanding Trauma in Education: The Spectrum of Adversity and Its Impact on Student Well-Being
Understanding Trauma in Education: The Spectrum of Adversity and Its Impact on Student Well-Being
Laura A. Dawson-Fend, Yoon Suh Moh, Shernell A. Elibox, Nicole G. Johnson. © 2025. 32 pages.
In this chapter, the authors will explore the connection between adverse childhood experiences, social determinants of health, and the educational outcomes of children. The...